Free Trade

The following is a statement from the Campaign for Labor Rights.

An article in yesterday’s Washington Post reports that Congress and the Bush administration are nearing agreement on trade deals with Colombia, Peru and Panama. Negotiations between the U.S. Trade Representative and the House Ways and Means Committee have been going on for several months. Since the Democrats took control of Congress last November, approval of the agreements with Colombia and Peru has seemed less likely. This is due in large part to labor and environmental concerns. These are serious concerns, though not the only ones.
Violence against unionists in Colombia is a daily occurrence, with more than 2000 union organizers having been murdered since 1991.

Greetings for the new year! We at LAWG are excited about the prospects of what the new Congress could mean for U.S. policy in Colombia. We have included a brief analysis of the political scene and the changes we can expect to see this year. Working together, we know that we can create change, and the first step is to target the new representatives and senators. We need your help to educate new members of Congress about Colombia, and make sure that they're sensitive to the many human rights, labor and drug policy concerns that we have! Below we ask you to meet with your representatives and senators if they are new to Congress.